Professor Gooding teaches courses in American Politics and racial and ethnic politics. His research explores the impact of racial identity on political engagement. In his work, he explores the traditional forms of political activity (i.e., voting, protests, etc.), while also recognizing a range of behaviors and symbols that also define inclusion and exclusion from a group, polity or public sphere.

Professor Gooding is a contributing author to the edited volume, The Gendered Executive: A Comparative Analysis of Presidents, Prime Ministers, and Chief Executives, Temple University Press, 2016. He also contributed to A Companion to Sport, Wiley-Blackwell 2013, where he and Dr. Mark Sawyer examine anti-black racism in international football. Currently, Dr. Gooding is developing a book manuscript that examines group-based identity, socio-political attitudes and political engagement among Afro-Caribbeans in the United States during the Barack Obama administration.